A multivehicle crash along Interstate 80 about 90 miles west of Cheyenne, Wyo., killed six people in March 2006. Police blamed poor visibility during a blizzard.

Written by

Doyle Rice
| USA Today

Although it's the large weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes that get most of the news media's attention, the U.S.'s biggest weather killer by far is car accidents, said James Koermer, a meteorology professor at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

On average, more than 7,000 Americans die in weather-related wrecks each year on our nation's highways, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. The FHA defines weather-related crashes as those that occur in adverse weather such as rain, sleet, snow or fog, or on slick pavement.